Yellow and Red: Raphril Week 2015
by amgehron
Summary: My entries for Raphril Week 2015. Day 4: 2k3 AU Raph has been out of the dating scene for some time, and his brothers set him up on a blind date. Could it become something more? An unrated version is going up on AO3.
1. Crush

_**Arms wide open, I stand alone.  
I'm no hero, and I'm not made of stone.  
Right or wrong, I can hardly tell.  
I'm on the wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell.  
The wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side, righteous side of hell.**_

Raphael scanned the crowd as his entrance song came on, looking for one particular person. Sure enough, she was in the same spot, next to a dark-haired man who looked like he was currently hitting on the beer vendor. The brunette ignored this, focusing on Raph instead, and the turtle straightened his shoulders and swaggered down to the ring, watching her stare out of the corner of his eye.

She was attractive, that was for sure. Long, dark chestnut hair shone in the light, and the color only accented her pale blue eyes. He recognized her as April O'Neil, the local news' 'Fitness and Lifestyle' reporter. She had come to every fight he had been in in this little ring, and he could now hear her cheers out of the entire crowd, speaking of which…

The massive terrapin in red turned his gaze to the ring, where his opponent stood, waiting for him. The canine was an Akita by the name of Chris Bradford that was in black. Bradford bared his teeth in an attempt to intimidate Raphael. He just sneered. Like that puppy dog could do anything to him.

Entering the octagon, he focused on the fight ahead of him, his gold eyes darkening. Only a few more fights and he can get that meeting with Dean Hawit to talk about a contract in the big leagues. A few more wins and he can set his family up for a lifetime. A few more nights and he can bring himself to approach the woman he had been crushing on since he first had talked to her at a minor event two years ago. His brothers had been teasing him about it since, but even if he did seek her out to ask her on a date, she might think he was a stalker.

Not that he didn't seek her out. Raph would get Don to find out what event she was going to be at next, and would wander around there, not matter how stupid it was, to see her. He had contemplated trying to get her into becoming a sports reporter, but he knew from the bio she had on the new site that she wanted to become a serious investigative reporter. He didn't want to mess with what she wanted to be, but still, having her pretty face talk to him after a fight would be better than the nerd that normally did it.

Moving to the center of the ring, he touched gloves with the Akita, and placed himself in a defensive position. For a long moment, the world seemed to slow down, and he realized he was facing April. Her entire focus was on him, and he had to notice the red headband she was wearing, his signature Kanji on the sides in black. She must have made it herself, from the way the lines were slightly crooked in some areas. It only made him wish more that he could actually talk to her. Fighting a grin, he pulled himself back to the fight just as the bell rung.

The canine was a ground fighter, and went for a tackle first thing, but Raphael was able to dodge, sidestepping the hit. He moved back into range and landed a hit to the kidney. Bradford growled, whipping around to graze Raph's chin. The red fighter's next hit missed as his opponent made another attempt to ground.

 _Friggin' amateur…_ He thought as he recovered, twisting his body to deliver a kick to Bradford's hip. The Akita growled as he threw himself at the turtle, pinning him to the cage. Giving a few futile knee jabs to him, Raph managed to push the fighter in black away from him and turn so that he pinned the canine against the cage.

Distracting his opponent with a few attempted jabs to his kidney, Raph landed a nice hit to Bradford's temple, leaving him reeling. If he couldn't get this guy with a KO or submission, he'd at least get a Decision.

Getting in another kidney shot as Bradford finally managed to get him on the ground, Raph turned himself to get on top before the canine got a solid hold on him. It was then the Akita made his mistake.

Trying to land a solid hit on Raphael's temple, Bradford left his guard down and the turtle took the chance to grab his other arm and get it into a perfect arm bar. It took only a few seconds of bending an arm in a way it shouldn't, and Raphael felt Bradford tap his leg, the ref signaling him to release not long after.

As he waited for the final decision, Raphael looked out at the crowd, first finding Dean Hawit. The Jackal was pointing to him while talking to another college that Raphael didn't recognize. The human nodded in agreement as the two left their seats. Next to them was Michelangelo, who was on break from Art School and came to see his older brother fight.

Next he found Mrs. O'Neil, who was standing and cheering for him, her date now gone. Grinning, he took the chance to show off a bit as they announced his name and the Ref took his arm, holding it into the air. When he turned back to April, she was already gone. Disappointed, he walked out of the ring and back to his dressing room. Maybe next time he would be able to talk to her.

He didn't notice one of the members of his escort walking up the young woman and talking to her before leading her way.

April tried to ignore the Neanderthal beside her as _"Wrong Side of Heaven"_ blared in the air. Really, the only reason she was with him was because he had really good tickets to this little MMA promotion. She felt herself blush as the fighter entered the room, 6' 8" of solid muscle. Raphael Hamato had been the subject of many-a-late night dream ever since she had interviewed him two years ago. She had wanted to approach him, but was afraid she'd look like a creep.

That didn't mean she didn't follow him. She went to as many of his fights as she could, getting a seat as close to the ring as possible. She knew his preferred moves, his record, and his workout routine. Adding to following him on Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media, it had made her feel like a stalker, but at the same time she could swear she had seen him at many of the events she reported, lurking in the background. Not that she'd ever dream of such impressive example of manhood would be interested in her, who had just learned to wear her heels without killing herself in them.

He sauntered down to the octagon, his skin rippling as he moved. April swallowed hard as she tried not to think about those massive arms holding her up against the wall of his locker room as he bit into her neck…

Flushing, April shook the image from her head and returned her focus on the fight. By then her companion, Casey, had disappeared with the chick who served the beer, but April clung to the pass in her hand, making sure they couldn't kick her out before his fight ended.

She noticed that he scanned the crowed before the fight, and hoped that he noticed her up front. It had taken her weeks to get the headband right, and wanted him to notice it. As his eyes briefly found hers (or so she thought), he smiled at the headgear. It made all the pricks on her fingers worth it.

As the fight began, her blue focused on the red fighter, knowing that his opponent, Chris Bradford, was no slouch in this particular circuit, and not one to take lightly. Raphael was a very balanced fighter, not wanting to focus too much on ether being on his feet or on the ground, but Bradford was an out-an-out ground fighter, specializing in submissions.

Cheering him on, she forgot all about her 'date' and had all of her focus on the fight. She knew that if he could win this one, it would get the attention of Dean Hawit, and possibly a contract for the UFC. It would be sad not to see him again, but she knew it was his goal to get into the league.

Getting to her feet as Raphael pulled Bradford into an arm bar, she knew she'd be hoarse tomorrow as she screamed with the others around her, jumping up and down as the Akita tapped out and the match was given to Raph.

As she waited to the final judgement, April felt a gentle tap on her arm. Looking up, she noticed one of Raphael's towel guys next to her. He handed her a pass to the back.

"Could you follow me, miss?" He asked gently. "There is someone who would greatly like to meet you."

Michelangelo knew something was up with his brother the moment her entered the ring. Normally he would just scowl at everyone as he went passed. This time he seemed to be showing off, flexing and grinning at everyone. Very un-Raph like.

Scanning the crowd, he looked for whoever might have grabbed his brother's interest long enough to merit this display that he rarely ever did. It must be one heck of a person (he wasn't going to assume Raph sexuality) to warrant his interest. A smile came to his face as he located her.

He knew her from the news station. April O'Neil did some lifestyle segment that had her going to all sorts of crazy places. She had interviewed him once when she went to watch him and a few of his buddies try to break the world record for biggest piece of macaroni art. All of his partners had tried to hit on her, but Donatello, who had come for a visit, warned him away.

This explained so much. His brother insisting on watching that stupid lifestyle segment every night, and why he kept going to things Mikey would have never thought he would be interested, like craft fairs and 'family fun' days. It wasn't his brother's usual hangout, and it had confused the heck of Michelangelo.

It had gotten to the point where even Leo was wondering what was wrong with him at times. Raphael had gotten around quite a bit up until two years ago, and it just stopped suddenly. If he remembered correctly it was right after an interview he had done for the local news station.

The turtle in orange grinned as he watched the woman stare at his brother as he moved into the arena. She was pretty, he had to admit. Dark haired, and he could catch a glimpse of bright blue eyes that were completely focused on his brother. This explained _everything._ Don warning him off, his brother's sudden loss of interest in women and new interest in the news. It didn't seem to Mikey that the two know they were going bonkers for each other. This was going to be fun.

Laughing to himself, he snuck down next to the ring and managed to get the attention of Usagi, another fighter Leonardo had asked Raph to take on as part of his entourage while Usagi was on medical suspension form his last fight. All of his brothers knew that the leader had a thing for the rabbit, even if Leo did try to pretend otherwise.

"Hey Usagi," Mikey said in a loud whisper. The rabbit turned to him. "Come here, I got something for you to do." Walking up to him, Usagi cocked his head to the side, looking up.

"What is it that you need Michelangelo?" He asked politely. At least Mikey had been able to get him to drop the _–san_ when speaking to him. Pulling a spare backstage pass (for a friend, Raph had suggested) from his sweatshirt pocket he handed it to Usagi and pointed to April.

"Take this to that woman over there, okay? I'll meet you outside the dressing room door after the match." Scurrying back to his seat, Mikey made it just in time to see his older brother put his opponent in an arm bar for the win. Jumping from his seat, the orange turtle made his way to the back to set his plan into motion.

To say April was nervous as she followed the rabbit to the back was an understatement. She had no clue why she had been chosen out of the entire crowd to come back stage. As they came up to his dressing room, she saw another turtle, only slightly smaller than Raphael, but in an orange tee-shirt. She recognized him from a story she had done about six months ago, when he and a group of art students broke the record for largest macaroni art. His friends had hit on her the entire time she was there, but the turtle had been nothing but polite to her after another turtle in purple had talked to him. He smiled as she came up.

"Hey, I'm Michelangelo, Raph's younger brother." He told her, holding out his hand for her to shake. She liked it, solid and firm, versus the light, barely-there ones she normally got. "If you just follow me, he should be back in a bit." Michelangelo escorted her into the room, and then leaving her alone.

Raphael, in the meantime, wondered where the hell his brother was. Normally when Mikey came to one of his fights, he was in interview area, waiting for a chance to hit on some of the more attractive reporters, whether they were male or female. Finally, as he finished some photos for local newspaper, he caught a glimpse of orange as his brother came barreling towards him.

"Hey Bro, that was a great fight!" The younger brother gushed, his blue eyes bright. Raph's own gold eyes narrowed. His little brother was up to something.

"Whacha do?" He asked gruffly as they made their way back to his dressing room. Mike just gave him a stupid grin.

"Me? I didn't do anything." Came the reply, as his grin got wider. Giving his brother a suspicious look, he let Mikey open the door to his dressing room. He froze as soon as he saw _her_ sitting in a chair, wringing her hands. She looked up when he stepped in, and he watched her face go red and her eyes light up when she saw him. Jumping to her feet she walked up to him, her hand out to shake his. Mikey disappeared off to who-knows-where, leaving him alone with her.

"Hey! I'm April, April O'Neil, I interviewed you a few years back, don't think you'll remember that though." She said all in one breath, looking adorably nervous. Raphael just smiled.

"I remember that interview." He said grinning as he returned the handshake. "It's great to see you again, though. How've you been?" God, he felt like a giddy schoolboy, just feeling her soft hand in his own large one. His heart jumped as she smiled even bigger, her eyes brimming with excitement. Could it be she's been wanting to see him?

"I've been great. I see you've got Dean Hawit looking at you. Heading up in the world, huh?" She replied, moving from one foot to another.

"Yah, it's kinda weird, you know? I've been wanting to get into the UFC for years, and now I got a real chance to do it? Kinda awesome, but still nervous about it, ya know? Some much could still go wrong." Raph rubbed his head for a moment before he got a crazy idea and took a risk. "You want to go out for a coffee or something? I know this little bistro down the street that's open late, and they got really good cheesecake. Just give me a minute to change really quick"

"You had me at coffee." April said, laughing. "But the cheesecake is a nice bonus."

A half hour later the two were seated at a small table, laughing over a story April was telling him.

"Really? The guy does the sports told you that I didn't have the talent to make it farther than amateur fighting?" April nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Considering you're proving him wrong, I think I'm going to win the bet." She said smugly. Raph raised an eye ridge.

"Bet? You bet that I'd make it to the UFC?" He asked, shocked that this woman he barely had more confidence in his dreams than Leonardo did. "My brother didn't even think I'd make it this far." April just smiled.

"I have an ability to see things in people." She told him, a bashful smile on her face. Her eyes met his, and she blushed. "You know this is really fun, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed myself on a date." Raph felt his heart leap to his throat. Could she be interested in him? He just grinned back at her.

"Yah, it's been great." He said as they finished up their drinks. "I should get back to the arena, Mikey's gonna think we're doing something else if I don't get back soon." April giggled, her eye lighting up in amusement.

"Thanks for the coffee." She paused for a minute looking over at something behind him, then met his eyes. "You think we could do this again one day?"

"I think that would be fun." He said. "Maybe dinner next week?" April nodded.

"That sounds nice. Something casual okay? I know a nice little pub that has the best burgers in town." Raph's face turned into a frown for a moment.

"You talking about O'Bradys over on fifth?" He asked. When April nodded in the affirmative, he grinned at her again. He knew he was going to like her. "I love that place! You had their calamari? It's the only place I've had it that it doesn't feel like you're eating rubber."

"So it's a date?" She asked as she stood up to leave, Raph escorting her to the door.

"It's a date." He replied, as he led her to the end of the block and stood with her as she waited for a cab. She looked up at him, and his chest tightened at her beauty. Before he knew it, his lips where on hers, and she was returning the soft, gentle kiss. The cabbie honk his horn to signal his arrival, and Raph had to pull away from her to let her get into the cab. Pausing before she closed the door, she smiled up at him.

"See you next week, right?" Raph felt like his heart was going to burst as he smiled back.

"It's a date." He replied earnestly.


	2. Hurt

She was stitching up another rebel when Raphael came in to tell her the news. Freezing in the doorway, he contemplated just have Michelangelo break the news to her. It was hard enough knowing that that his best friend was gone. Telling the woman who loved him more than anything was only going to make it worse, considering it was also the woman he was in love with.

It sucked being in the background. Even if April hadn't fallen for Casey, she would more likely have ended up with Donatello or Leonardo. Thinking on it, it would have been better if she had ended up with Leo, over him pining for the cold-hearted bitch that had betrayed him in the end.

They all had warned Leo against his relationship with Karai, and he never listened. Now they were living in this hell and Leo was off to God-knows-where, abandoning them all after Master Splinter's death.

His brother was dealing with his own issues at the moment, however, having recently lost his arm in a raid on a lab in hopes of finding Donatello. It had changed his brother, destroying what little innocence he had left after Splinter had died and Leo had left them. Besides that, Raph wanted to get away from here as soon as he could, and had no idea where Mike was at the moment.

Walking up, Raph cleared his throat. April looked up to see who it was, and returned to her work.

"Just give me one second, I'm almost done." She said, trying up the stitches. Raph waited for her to finish wrapping up the wound, and then lead her into a private room.

"Casey's gone." He stated flatly, not looking at her. She gasped behind him.

"No, he can't-" April paused and took a breath, swallowing hard. "How did he die? Is his body here?" Raph grit his teeth. He didn't want to talk about this, he just wanted to leave.

"We were scouting around the docks, looking for supplies when they jumped on us." He began. "Casey got caught in the range on a grenade. Not much of a body to bring back." He knew he should be a little kinder to April, but at that moment he didn't care. He just wanted to get away from this place, from all the ghosts and memories.

April cried behind him, and he felt irrationally angry for some reason. Whipping around, he growled at her.

"Knock it off!" He snarled, storming up to her. "You're in charge of those people out there! You can't be breaking down like this! Pull yourself together!" April swallowed hard, backing away from him.

"What they hell's going on Raph?" His brother stormed into the room, wrapping his remaining arm around April, who buried herself into it.

"He can't be gone, he just can't-" She whimpered softly. She began to shake as she broke down, soft, heartbroken sobs echoing in the otherwise silent room. The orange turtle turned to the woman in his arms. Murmuring to her soothingly, he stroked her hair.

"Why don't you go lay down for a bit, I'll bring you something to drink, okay?" April nodded and left the room, leaving the two turtles alone.

"Mind telling me what's up?" Michelangelo snapped, glaring at his brother. Raph just turned his shell on his brother.

"Casey's dead." He said flatly. Mike swore behind him, then his voice went soft.

"I'm sorry about that man, I really am, but it's not an excuse to snap at April like that. She's under enough stress without you getting on her case." He moved next to Raph and put a hand on his shoulder, but Raph just shook him away and went to the door. "She's only human Raph, she can't be strong all the time." Raphael paused at the doorway for a minute.

"I'm leaving." He told his baby brother, not looking back.

"When are you coming back?" The question was soft, almost pleading for an answer. Raph clenched his hand. He was tired of those kind of questions. Mike was old enough to know better than to ask them.

"I don't know." He answered honestly. "But I got to get out of here, there's too many bad memories here."

"So you're just leaving us?" Michelangelo asked, moving in front of Raphael. "Did you even plan on telling any of us?" When no reply came, he continued. "Fine" He spat. "Leave us. Run with your tail between your legs. Be like Leonardo. I don't care anymore. You guys clearly don't care for us." He whipped around to leave.

"Mikey, wait-" Raph reached out for his brother. Mike paused, and gave Raph a look that he himself would normally sport.

"Don't Raph, you made your choice. Just leave. I can take care of April. It's the least I can do for what she's done for us." The voice of the youngest growled low. Giving Raphael one last look filled with disgust, he turned and was gone.

Raphael stood, looking down the way his brother had disappeared for a few minutes, then turned to the garage. Those two were stronger then he could ever hope to be. They put their needs to the side constantly, striving to help everyone that they could. Raph couldn't take any more of it. The haunted eyes, the cries of hungry children. He HAD to get away.

It was easy to find is bike in the mess of vehicles that were stored there. He kept it in as good condition as he could, scavenging for parts where ever he could. Sure, it had a few spots of paint missing, but it still ran like a dream. It was one of the only things he had left from his old life. Turning on last time to make sure April or Michelangelo hadn't followed him, he drug the cover off, grabbing his gear. Slipping into his jacket and placing his helmet firmly on his head, he climbed onto the bike and drove off, not once looking back.

It was some months later when Raph came stumbling back in, only able to see out of one eyes. Ignoring everyone else in the building, he made his way to the command room, where he knew he'd find April. She was the only one he would trust with something as bad as how his eye was right now. He could smell the pus that oozed from it.

Sure enough, she was there, going over some schematics of a building with a man he recognized as one of her main scouts. He wasn't someone you would really notice unless he brought attention onto himself, which he never did, and had been able to procure multiple items of interest for the rebel group.

April looked up at the startled gasp of 'Sir' form one of the lower techs. Green eyes flashing with something Raph couldn't identify, she strode up, standing right in front of him. Raph felt his mouth get dry at seeing her again. The trip had done nothing for his desire to confess at how he felt for her, to take her away from this Hell she didn't deserve and give her everything she did. He opened his mouth, but the words he wanted to say didn't come out.

"Can you fix this?" His tone was brutish as her eyes narrowed at the demand. Turning on her heel, she motioned for him to follow her.

"I'll be a bit Whitman, go get yourself some food and a bed, you deserve it. That info you brought us will lead up to another one of those plants they make the Karai bots at." She told the scout as she passed him. He just nodded and moved out without a word, while the tech Raph had startled gathered up the paperwork to look over later.

Raphael followed April down the hall, and he couldn't help but stare at her while she made her way to the infirmary. Her once small, careful stride had turned into long steps, sure of where she was going and to hell with those that got in her way. Her body had changed too. Her soft, feminine curves had turned to lean, sinewy muscle from malnutrition and overworking herself. Not that she wasn't beautiful anymore. If anything, he thought she was more beautiful than ever. A warrior, ready to give anything for her cause.

He was so lost in his thoughts he ran right into April when she stopped in front of one of the smaller infirmary rooms. She glared at him before opening the door and motioning for him to come inside. Raphael moved past her without an apology. It wasn't like she was expecting one anyway.

When April turned on the lights, Raphael blinked his good eye at the sudden brightness of the room. Most of the other lights in the building had dimmer lights, if not using candles and lamps. They used the precious few bright lights for the infirmary.

Adjusting to the light, Raphael sat down on one of the chairs as April went around, collecting what she needed to take care of his eye. Pulling on gloves, she moved to where he was sitting, tipping his head up so she could see it better. Gently pressing around it a bit, watching him wince in pain when she hit a particularly sensitive spot, she frowned and went for anesthetic, filling up the needle with a practiced ease.

"I'm not going to be able to save the eye." She said flatly. Pushing the needle into an area near the inured eyes, she grabbed the cotton and antiseptic, starting to clean out his eye. Raphael winced as the burning liquid came in contact to the sensitive flesh.

"I kinda guessed that." He muttered as she began to squeeze out the infection that had settled into it. He was surprised he had been able to make it this far without him ending up with a fever, to be truthful. There was a few more moments on silence as she continued to work on him, and then she spoke again.

"So how did this happen?" She asked. Raphael turned red for a moment before answering.

"I kinda hit a tree branch riding my bike." He muttered, fighting off the urge to rub the back of his head like he normally did when embarrassed. April paused in her work to look down at him.

"Must have been going pretty fast to break you visor." She said in her 'don't even try to lie' tone. "Unless you weren't wearing it." Venom dripped from her voice and Raph had to fight the desire to cower under her glare.

"It kinda broke a few weeks back." He admitted. She gave him a glare that reminded him of his lost father, making his heart twist. Turning to grab a needle and thread, April began to stitch his eye shut. After a few minutes of her concentrating on his eye, she spoke again.

"So you've been riding around on that antique hunk of junk without a helmet for what, a month now?" She asked as she tied it shut, then stepped back to make sure it looked right. Raphael gave her a sheepish grin.

"Yah." He said, standing up. She was standing so close he could smell her. He loved her natural scent, which was deep and earthy. Not something you'd expect on a woman, but it fit her. She was earth and fire, a contradictory in itself. Someone you could depend on solidly, but had a wicked temper that burned wildly when provoked.

"I want you to stick around for at least a week if you can handle it." She stated, bringing him out of his reverie. "I'm going to give you some antibiotics to fight off any remaining infection there might be. I might be able to find another old helmet around here that might fit you." She finished cleaning up the supplies she used and made her way to the door. "Go find yourself a bed and get yourself some food, knowing you, you haven't eaten in a while." And with that she was gone.

He was lying in bed later that night when he made the decision to confront her about how he felt. It had been some time since Casey's death, and he was sure April wouldn't be judged for finding someone else so soon. Casey wouldn't want her to be alone for the rest of her life. He should have stayed and comforted over his death, Raph knew. Casey would be PISSED if he had seen Raph turn tail and run from the woman who had just lost someone she dearly loved. Someone who was his friend, too.

Slipping out of bed, he made his way down the hall, silent as a predator stalking its prey. He had to avoid several of the roving guards, not wanting to get caught up in a conversation about where he was going at that time of night. Finally he made it to her room, and after some deliberation, quietly opened her door. He froze at the sight he found in April's bed.

Another turtle was already there, he body looming over hers as she was sprawled out in the bed. The shadows of the room made it impossible for Raph to identify who it was. A sharp, slightly bitter odor filled the air, betraying what the two had been doing and covered the scent of the two lovers. Emitting a chocked sound, Raph tried to back out of the room, the lingering instincts of the reptile telling him to get out of there before the other male noticed him. In his drugged state, Raph didn't have a chance against…

The other turtle turned to him, and Raphael could see the stub that had once been his younger brother left arm. He moved out of the bed as April covered herself up, standing straight up to his full height. He gave a low growl as April sat up, shooting Raph a dark look.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked sharply. Raph could only gape at them while his heart and brain tried to come to terms with what he was seeing. Mike clenched a fist and looked like he was about to attack Raph when April placed a small hand on his arm.

"I was- I just thought…."Raph trailed off, his gold eyes focused on his very-pissed looking baby brother. "You and Michelangelo?" He finished lamely, as he felt his heart begin to break. Mike tilted his head, giving his older brother a dark look.

"You left." He said, his voice a deep rumble in his chest. "April needed someone to rely on. I manned up and stood with her." He turned to look at her, a warm smile that Raph hadn't seen it ages gracing his features.

It kind of made sense. Raph certainly wasn't the only one who had a thing for April. He knew Leo had harbored a small crush on her until _she_ entered their lives, and ended up destroying the little family they had built. Everyone knew that Donnie had a thing for her, but was happy enough being friends with someone who could understand his technobabble. Maybe before this all a happened, Mike only saw her as an older sister, or maybe a mother, but now he saw her as something more.

In the end he couldn't blame Michelangelo for falling for her, or even for approaching her after everyone else in her life had ether died, disappeared, or simply left her. So in the end, Raph just gave his brother a tight smile.

"You take care of her, okay?" He simply asked, then turned and left her room.

When he got back to his own room, Raphael sunk into his cot and shut his eye trying to block out the pain of heartbreak. He would rather have had the other eye taken out then this.

But in the end, there was no one to blame but himself.

Raph could barely stand the rest of the week he had to stay there, but he had made April a promise. Twice now his insecurities had lost him the woman of his dreams. In some way, he was happy for Mike. He hadn't seen the younger turtle smile so much since Leonardo had left them some years ago. But it still hurt that he had let a chance of a lifetime slip through his fingers.

Finally he was cleared by April to leave. As he went to get his bike out of the shop it had been put in for tune-ups, April and Michelangelo met him at the door.

"Here." Mike said, handing out a 'new' helmet to him. "I don't want another brother who can't see two feet in front of him. If it wasn't for the fact it was Leo we're talking about, I'd have sworn he just got lost all those years ago." Raph smiled as he took it.

"Thanks, Mikey." He said earnestly. April then held something out towards him. It was his mask, cleaned of all the bodily fluids that had stained it when he had taken it off. The eye hole had been closed shut.

"I wanted to make sure you kept the wound clean for a little while longer, and this seemed to be the best way." She explained simply. Raph bowed his head to let her tie it one, a faded memory from long ago when Master Splinter put his first mask on him ticked the forefront of his conscious.

It seemed kind of fitting that she did it now, kind of stepping up to fill the old rat's shoes as the mentor and center of the group. He straightened himself back up to look in her eyes.

"Thank you." He said, and pulled away from them to get his bike. This time before he disappeared over the horizon, he stopped to look back. April and Mike where there, watching him leave. Waving at them, Raphael watched Michelangelo kiss April on the top of her head as she returned it. Smiling, knowing that he hadn't completely lost her, he revved his bike and sped off into the sunrise.


	3. Sweet

April checked her hair in the side mirror of the news van on last time before she walked over to where Vern stood, finishing setting up the camera. He looked up and gave the reporter a smile. Sometime after the whole Sachs incident, April had sat the cameraman down and told him that in no certain circumstances would she ever be interested in him romantically. It had cleared to air between the two, and they had ended up becoming good friends. April enjoyed the banter that occurred between the two of them.

Now they were on scene at what was looking to be a major illegal weapons cache for a local branch of the Bloods, April's first 'real story' since she had been the one to break the news on Sachs. Cops and AFT authorities wandered in and out of the building, carrying weapons that ranged from low-caliber pistols to military grade M4s.

"Ready for your first real story O'Neil?" He asked, handing her the mic.

"Like you wouldn't believe." She answered him, laughing. "If this goes well I can kiss all that arm-flapping and grade-school art shows goodbye."

"I could do with a little less of those walking germs factories." Vern agreed, checking the time. "I will miss the cute chicks in the yoga pants." The brunette rolled her eyes.

"Of course you will." She said, taking her place in front of the camera. "Why don't you take some yoga classes at the rec center?" Vern stuck out his tongue.

"I did. All the women there were mothers or cougars wanting to get in shape. Not my type." He muttered. April laughed at the look on his partner's face.

"You know there's a thing called Naked Yoga?" She asked, glancing behind her to make sure she wasn't blocking anything. The color drained from his face at that thought and shuddered.

"No thank you." He managed to get out. "Bet you dinner that most of the people there would be mostly guys there. I can just see it, hairy bodies and swinging sausage as far as the eye can see…ugh…" The camera man shuttered as April giggled.

"You poor thing." She teased. Vern gave her a hopeful look.

"Hey maybe you can hook me up with one of your gal pals." He said eagerly. April laughed outright at this.

"Please, I can barely stand being in the female dressing room for ten minutes with those people, what makes you think I'd willing hang out with anyone after work. Come on, it's about time for us to go on."

"Yah, yah." Vern replied, turning his attention to the camera. "You ready O'Neil? We're on in five….four…three…two…one, and…" April turned her attention to the camera, a set a firm look on her face.

"This is April O'Neil reporting from the scene where police and AFT Agents have come to believe that they have stumbled upon on of the biggest weapons caches in city history-" She was interrupted by a huge explosion in the building behind her. She and Vern instinctively hit the ground as shards of glass and chucks of the building's roof flew around them.

"You okay O'Neil?" Vern asked as chaos reigned around them.

"I think so." April replied, coughing. "What the hell just-" She froze her eyes focused on an object not five inches from her face.

"O'Neil? April?" Concern laced Vern's voice "What's wrong?" Looking up enough to see his partner, he saw April staring at a burned, dismembered hand sitting in front of her. Her eyes seemed to be faded and looking at the object, but not seeing it. "Fuck." He swore, scrambling to his feet to get to her.

Meanwhile, April was lost in a memory from long ago.

" _Daddy? Dad? Where are you?" The little girl whimpered as she was surrounded by flames. She coughed as smoke surrounded her, eyes burning from the smoke._

 _After what seemed like an eternity, she finally found her father's lab. She fought to get the doors, the metal handles burning her hands. Finally they popped open and she ducked as the flames licked out from the room, the smoke thick and black._

" _Dad?" She asked again. "Dad are you in here?" April looked down as her foot kicked something metal. "Splinter?" She asked as a familiar head poked out of an over-turned trash can. She bent down to pick him up._

" _We need to get the others." She muttered soothingly to him, stoking his head. She moved over to the glass terrariums that sat on the counter, and reached in to get the occupants out one at a time. Four turtles, all dear friends, a different colored dot on each of their backs. 'Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo' she thought to herself._

 _Once they were secure in her arms, she turned to look in another part of the lab for her father. Turning the corner, she was stopped by a wall of flames. Searching around for a way to get past, she caught sight of something laying prone on the ground, the fire starting to burn it black._

 _Horror filled her as she recognized the little shirt that was left, and backpedaled backwards into a firefighter that had come in to search for people in the building. Her chest tightened and she began to gasp for breath as tears filled her eyes. The scent of burning flesh filled the air and April lunged forward to reach for him._

" _DADDY!" She screamed as the firefighter grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away. "Daddy, no!" She fought against the man's arms trying to get to the body of her only family, but he didn't let up at all. He pulled away, out of the building. They had just made it out when a crashing sound came from inside the building. The roof had started to collapse._

 _She everything sway around her. Gone. He was gone. She looked down at her and realized that her precious cargo was no longer in her arms._

" _Guys?" She asked, looking back up. Everything around her had gone black. Alone. She was alone._

" _Guys?" She called to the darkness. "Leo? Donnie?" She spun around to the other side. "Mikey?" Her heart clenched as she called out to the one she was certain would help._

" _Raph!"_

Meanwhile Vern knelt next to the woman who seemed to be in shock. Sirens roared in the air, and Vern shook her gently.

"Come on April, we need to get you away from that." He said gently, tugging at her arm. She blinked a few times, and pulled herself to her knees, shaking like a leaf. A paramedic came running up behind them.

"Are injured?" She asked, eyeing them over. Vern shook his head.

"We're both okay, just a little shook up" He told her. She seemed satisfied with the answer and turned to find others to help. He turned to April. "I need you to keep it together for just a little bit okay? We'll get a quick text to Raph to let him know you're okay, answer whatever questions we have to for the cops, check in with Thompson, and I'll take you where you guys want to meet, okay?" April managed a nod.

"Okay." She whispered softly, and the cameraman could see her shaking. He wrapped an around her shoulders. Seeing she was still badly shaken, he grabbed her phone from the front seat and handed it to her to unlock. When she handed it back, she had already dialed Raph's number, under the nickname of 'Big Red'. He smiled a little at that, and waited for Raphael to pick up.

"You okay?" Came the sharp, gruff voice on the other end. Vern pulled the phone away from hi sear and turned it down a little.

"She's shaken up, but physically she's fine." Vern answered, and heard the mutant on the other end pause.

"How bad?" He asked and Vern turned his eyes to the woman he had known for years. Her eyes looked dull and every once in a while she would look up, startled like she had forgotten where she was.

"Pretty bad." Vern had to admit. "I got the medic off our back, but the authorities will want to question us, and I got to check in with the Boss, she'll insist April's there." He heard Raphael rumble something irritably in the background. Understandable, he wanted to get April out of there as quick as he could, too. "Anywhere you want to meet up so you can get her?"

"Just take her to her apartment." The red turtle replied. "Text me when you're on your way so I can get a bath running for her."

"No problem, we just need to get this craziness done and I'll get her to you safe and sound." Vern assured the turtle, and hung up. Taking April's hand he pulled her to the cop car. "Come on April, let's get this over with." He told her, really just wanting to get her home.

It was another three hours before he was able to send Raphael that text. When he thought about it, he wondered how on earth he was going to get into her apartment in the middle of the day, but he could hear the massive male snickering at him with a simple 'Ninja' explanation.

Thompson had been nice that day, giving the both of them a few days to recover from the explosion, but she was also now not sure about giving April a permanent job as an investigative reporter after seeing her reaction to the blast.

"Yes, because you're supposed to be just fine after going through something like that." He grumbled under his breath. That kind of trauma was not something to take lightly, hell, his sister had been in the Army years ago and she still could get jumpy at sudden explosions like that.

Sill muttering under his breath, Vern found a spot to park near April's apartment and pulled into it. He helped her up the steps, and got her to her apartment door, which opened just enough to let him in.

The living room had been rearranged, the couch and chairs had been in the center of the living room had been pushed outwards, to the walls. In their place was a massive amount of blankets, the blue turtle seemed to be arranging them in a nest. The other two were in the kitchen, messing with something on the stove that already smelt good. It was then the leader looked up.

"He's getting the bath ready right now." He informed April, who let go of Vern and wandered down the hall. "She'll be okay, we've had to do this before." He reassured the cameraman, who smiled.

"I'll just leave you guys to it then." He said, and turned to leave, but was stopped by the one in orange.

"Here." He said, thrusting a foil-wrapped plate into his hands. "Thanks for taking care of her until she got here." Bright blues eyes met Vern's. "It was kinda scary seeing her freak out like that, but she was in good hands."

"It was no problem." Vern replied. "I might have been unsuccessful in the romance department, but she's still a friend. Thanks for the food." With that, he turned and left.

Meanwhile, Raph sat next to the tub, reading from a poetry book April liked as she leaned back in the tub. The faint scent of Sandalwood filled the air as his voice rumbled in a soft, soothing tone. This continued until he noticed that the water had gone cold, and he helped her out of the tub.

"Here." He said, handing her a long shirt and her favorite fuzzy pants. "I'm going to see if Mikey and Donnie need some help in the kitchen, okay?" She smiled up at him.

"That sounds great, thank you." She whispered as she wrapped a towel around her. Raphael bent down to give her a soft kiss, and went out to the kitchen.

Donatello was helping Mikey dish out the food, but turned his attention to Raph when he walked in.

"She doing okay?" The resident medic asked, as he turned and grabbed a prescription bottle from a cabinet above her coffee maker.

"Yah, she's just shaken up from the flashback." The older turtle replied, grabbing some drinks from the fridge. Footsteps were heard coming down the hall, and soon April appeared wrapped in her over-sized robe, and a pair of fuzzy socks on her feet.

Don watched Raph walk up to her, pulling her close and nuzzling her head. It was a sweet gesture, and a comforting one. April nested her head beneath his chin, giving a soft sigh. Raphael pulled her into the living room, and sat her down, tucking her into the massive nest that Leo had made. The eldest looked up from where he sat at the self that held her DVDs.

"Anything specific?" He asked April, who thought for a moment.

"E.T. sound okay with you guys?" She asked looking at the others.

"It's whatever you want babe." Raphael told her as he brought in two plates from the kitchen, and settling himself next to her.

One by one the others settled in around her in the nest of blankets and pillows, and April curled around her boyfriend as the movie began to play.

"Thanks you guys." She whispered softly, looking at them. Donatello grabbed a hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's no problem April, we just want to make sure you're all right." He said gently, his green eyes soft and gentle. From beside Raph, Leo nodded in agreement.

"We're here for you, April, just like your there when we need it. We're family." April teared up slightly at Leonardo's words.

"Yah, we're family." She nodded in agreement. She turned her attention back to the movie, relaxing against Raph, letting the combined scent of the brothers lull her into a relaxed state, and dozed off.

Sometime later Leo slipped back in the window, having been gone for about a half hour or so, and went to help Master Splinter in. The other three were watching the latest movie, 'Super Mario Bros'. The leader had to snicker at the choice.

"Really guys? I thought we all decided this is one of the worse movies ever." He asked as he sat down.

"Excuse me, this is a considered a cult classic." April snipped at him, walking back into the living room. "Besides it's almost over, and we're watching 'Rock Horror' next." She turned her attention to the old rat. "How've you been Master Splinter? Sorry for not visiting for a while, it's been crazy at work." He waved a grizzled paw at her apology.

"No need for that, my child, I understand you have a life outside of us that you must attend to." Splinter replied, settling himself on a large overstuffed chair. "I do look forward to our checker games once things have calmed down though."

"Of course." April beamed at his words. Then Splinter's face went solemn.

"I do hope you are okay." He said, quiet eyes filled with worry.

"I'm much better than I was, thank you." She told him earnestly. "Did you need anything? I was about to make myself some tea." Splinter nodded.

"Tea would be lovely, my child. Green, preferably if you have it." The woman smiled at she went to bustle around the kitchen, filling the electric pot up with water.

"For a matter of fact, I do." She said, her voice muffled as she dug through her pantry for the tea. There was some unintelligible muttering and then a sound of triumph. "Here it is!" She pulled out of little closest, holding up a tin. "Found some nice loose-leaf green tea at the store. It's pretty good, but not the real thing."

"Whatever you have is fine my child, but I do request that if you have them, I could get those fudge cookies that I enjoy." Splinter's voice had a twinge of hopefulness as he tilted his head.

"Of course, just let me get the teas ready." April replied, smiling, turning to her stove.

Raphael smiled as he watched her fuss over the teapot, and get the cookies from the fridge. Beside him he heard a soft _Ding_ as he got a message.

 _She doing okay?_ Raphael smirked. As much as the Nerd had been a pain in the beginning, he ended up being a decent friend and had given Don a few parts from his old cameras to help out the security system.

 _Better now, she'll have nightmares tonight, but we're staying over, so she'll be fine._ He texted back as April walked in, gave his father his tea and snack, and sat herself back down next to him.

 _Okay, just call if you need me for anything. Night._

 _Night Nerd_. Raph turned the screen off and wrapped his arm around April as Mikey changed the movie. She curled into him as 'Science Fiction Double Feature' began to play.

Some hours later Raphael woke up with the main menu of 'The Last Unicorn' on and April twitching in her sleep. He pulled her closer and saw Leo curl up tighter next to her on her other side. Mikey and Don laid at her feet, but got up as she started crying softly, and rested their heads against her thighs.

After a few minutes, she settled done, yawning in her sleep, and buried herself deeper against Raph.

"She okay?" Mikey looked up at him, his bright eyes glowing in the low light from the TV.

"She'll be fine." The older turtle replied, giving the youngest a reassuring smile. He thought for a moment. "Think you could whip up some of those cavity-inducing sugar madness you call waffles in the morning? I think she'd like it." Mikey gave Raph a huge grin.

"One- well six orders of the Mikester's famous Double Strawberry and Whipped Cream Waffles? Not a problem Bro!" He whispered before curling back on April. Raph pressed his face back into April's hair and allowed himself to drift back to sleep.

Meanwhile April smiled in her own, knowing that she would never have to go through an attack like that by herself ever again.


	4. Date Night

Raphael glared at his two younger brothers. They had drug him to his room after he had gotten home, and tossed him in the shower. That was normal, and something he did regularly. His brothers inviting themselves into his little apartment was normal, in fact he often encouraged Leo to do so when he had a long shift at the station, or Donnie spent too much time at the lab, or when Mikey volunteered for a double shift at the hospital, and his place was closer than theirs was. What was NOT normal was the suit that was tailored for his shell they had laid out for him when he was done.

"What's going on?" He asked, gold eyes sharp. Don shifted nervously, but Mikey beamed and handed his older brother a sheet of paper. He noticed that Leonardo wasn't there, so Mikey must have gotten Don caught up in one of his hair-brained schemes he came up with when he wasn't at the hospital. Once Raph had a hold of it, Mikey moved quickly out of range.

"We signed you up for a dating site." He answered.

"You _WHAT_?!" He yelled, gold eyes flashing. Mikey looked up at him, giving Raphael his best "aren't I the cutest brother in the whole world" eyes.

"We decided that you needed to get out more. It's been almost four months since you broke up with Mona, and you need to get back on the dating scene." He said. "For some reason only one person responded to your ad." Raph froze at that.

"Wait, someone _responded_?" He asked, stunned. He knew his brother wouldn't hold back on what kind of person he was. He looked down at the paper, what kinda of nut would be remotely interested in him.

A cute one, he had to admit. Vibrant red hair and piercing green eyes, she had a wide, easy grin. The profile said her name was April O'Neil, and had been looking for a few months now. Raph scowled at the name, looking up at Donnie.

"Wasn't this the chick you had a thing for back when you first started working at Stockman's?" He asked his younger brother, who nodded.

"She was seeing someone at the time, but a few months ago there was an accident at the lab that left her unable to have kids, and the ass left her." The scientist replied, his eyes dark. "I enjoy her friendship too much to risk a relationship with her now." He looked away. "She's a really wonderful person to be around, and it sucks seeing her going out with guys that just want her because of her looks."

"Oh? And she won't be upset about dating a _reptile_ mybrid out of all the ones she could be with?" Raphael snapped at his brother. Don shook his head.

"She has no trouble with them at all." A small smile quirked to the younger turtle's face. "She even said that you were very good looking in our family photo." He motioned to the paper. "That's a mixed dating site, where the ones who sign up don't care if they get matched up with a mybrid. The fact that it paired up two up surprised me, though."

"Too much of a TV trope for you?" The older brother asked, chuckling. "The big, bad jock type ending up with the dainty nerd?"

"Please, she's not all that dainty." Donatello replied.

"And you're not worried that I'm going to mess it up?" Raphael asked, raising an eyebrow. Don just shook his head.

"She's not the type to blame me for your actions." He replied. "But I think you two would hit it off." He tugged Raphael to the bed. "You need to get ready, your reservations are in two hours." Giving in, Raph started to get dressed.

"So where did you guys get reservations to for me to get in the monkey suit?" He asked, as he buttoned up the dress shirt. Mikey grinned.

"That little restaurant on 6th." He replied, straightening Raph's tie. Raph gaped at his brother.

"But reservations have to be made months in advance!" He managed to choke out. Mikey looked a little sheepish and sad.

"I made them a while ago, when you were still dating Mona. I thought you could use a place like that to propose." Mikey looked away. "But that didn't happen, and I figured I'd save it for something else." Raph just sighed. His baby brother had his heart in the right place, but he had a habit of jumping the gun on things. Not that it was anyone's fault, not even Mona's, really. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, Raph gave Mikey an affectionate noogie.

"Don't give that look, Mikey, I understand." Pulling his shoes, he grabbed a bag, and tossed a shirt, a pair of jeans, and boots into it. "But I'm bailing if she ends up being all weepy over her ex."

"Oh, she's completely over him." Donnie replied. "He tried to get her back last month, and she told him to get out of the building before she found a way to donate his balls to science." Raphael had to laugh at that.

"Oh, violent, sound like my kind of girl." He said as the bell to his apartment rang.

"That would be your cab." Mikey exclaimed. Donatello put his hand on Raph's shoulder, stopping him before he left.

"Treat her right, okay? She a really good friend and I don't want anyone hurting her." Don's eyes narrowed. "You do hurt her and I swear, I will let her use your balls for science." The look in his younger brother's eyes told him he wasn't kidding.

"You know me, Don." Raph gave Don a small smile. "I'm a perfect gentleman on the first date." He paused to grab his 'get out of bad date' bag. "I am taking this just in case." He stated, and Don just nodded his head, agreeing with him.

Mikey grabbed Raph, dragging him to the door. He opened it and pushed his brother out, handing Raph a single Tiger Lily. "Don't drink and drive, make sure you hold the door open for her, and if you two do end up getting on tonight, remember to use protection." Raph turned to glare at his brother before heading downstairs.

"You know I don't do that on the first date." He said sharply. And with that, he turned and headed down to the cab.

A few minutes later he was standing in front of the restaurant. He had already placed his bag up where no one should be able to find it, and now he was waiting for April to show up.

It was getting close to reservation time when April finally walked up to him, in a long black dress that brought out the brightness of her hair and eyes.

"April, it's been a while." Raphael said, holding out the flower for her. She smiled at him and took it.

"Thank you, it's lovely." She replied. "I think it was the Christmas party last year, right? I don't think I talked much to you."

"Yah, I'm not into all the stuff that Donnie's into, so I kinda stuck to my brothers." He admitted as he led her into the restaurant. She gave him a smile.

"Well, I like to think I know a little about things other than science." She teased as the Hostess led them to their seats. Raphael raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" He asked. "Like what?" April thought for a moment.

"Who do you think will win tonight's fight?" She asked. "I think that Johnson might have a chance at beating McNaughton, but he's got to get McNaughton on the ground quick. He's pretty good at K.O.s." She looked at her drink menu and made a small irritated sound. Raph looked at his own and winced at the prices.

"Yikes, that's pretty steep." He muttered, looking over at April. "We might have to go Dutch." He added jokingly, looking back over to his date. Her eyes went up to meet his.

"I got a better idea." She declared, snapping her menu shut. "Let's give this table to some couple waiting up front and go to somewhere that the prices are a bit better? Food'll be better too." Raphael raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Where would that be?" He asked, signaling for the waitress. As much as he appreciated Mikey for getting the place, it really wasn't his type.

"There's Callahan's if you're okay with that." She suggested, standing up and grabbing the wrap she was wearing. "I do need to stop and change really quick, if that's okay with you. That way you can change too." Raph looked stupefied for a minute before April laughed. "I saw you hiding the bag earlier. Smart idea, I have to admit."

Raph laughed as the headed out to the door. He liked Callahan's, even if it did lean more toward the carnivorous mybrids. It had one of the best steaks he ever had, a good selection of beer, and was always playing the fights that where on.

Exiting the door, Raph had to smile as he passed the hostesses leading an older couple to the seats they had been occupying. An odd tug pulled at his heart, a longing for that kind of relationship. He really had thought Mona had been the one for him. Things just didn't turn out that way and as he caught a look at April smiling up at him, her eyes bright, he couldn't help but smile back at her.

They made their way to April's apartment that, while small, was still able to get that warm, homey feel to it. Greens and browns intermingled with natural wood gave it a feel of being in the outdoors, a small electric burner giving off a scent of earth and pine.

"I'll just be a sec." April said, walking to the room. "My bathroom is through that door. It's pretty big, so you should be able to change no problem." She shut the door behind her, and Raph quickly got out of the tux in favor of his favorite pair of jeans and a deep red tee shirt.

He was done first, and sat on the couch, waiting for her to come out. Soon he heard the door click open, and he stood up, turning to her.

"You ready because I'm-" He froze when he saw her. Her hair had been pulled up and she had a simple purple tee shirt and jeans on. That wasn't what stopped him. Her ear went into delicate points and swaying back and forth behind her was a white-tipped red tail. Something went through him right then, almost like a zap of static electricity. She took in his stunned look and went red.

"Don didn't tell you? And didn't you read my profile?" She looked down, hugging herself. "Do you have a problem with me being half-mybrid?" Raph went to her, trying to fight the feeling that intensified when he grabbed her shoulder.

"No, not at all, it's fine." He said, and she looked up to face him. "To tell you the truth, Don and Mike set me up for this. I should have looked over the profile, that's on me." He looked straight into her eyes. "I'm fine with this, really. Now let's go eat, I'm starving." A smile returned to her face and he had to fight the urge to kiss her right there.

Opening the door for her, he shook his head as she walked out. He never felt like this about someone on a first date before. He had an idea what was going on, but he really didn't want to think about it. Pushing it out of his mind, he closed the door behind him, waiting for April to lock it before he gently grabbed her by the waist and lead her outside.

They had to get a cab to the restaurant that was only a few blocks away from Raphael's apartment. Rock music played softly under that hum of the patrons and the cheers from the bar. April lead the way to two empty seats at the bar where it looked like one of the side events before the main fight was on.

"I think McNaughton's going to win this one." Raphael stated as the bartender came around and gave them their menus.

"Huh?" April said as she began to look through the drink menu.

"The fight. I think McNaughton's going to win." He repeated, opening his own menu. "Johnson's good at ground fighting, but McNaughton is hard to pin." The bartender came back and took their orders, bringing back the beers.

"Oh?" April asked as she sipped at her drink. "You want to bet on that?" A grin came to Raph's face.

"I'll take you up on that." He said, an eye ridge raised. "But what are the stakes?" April thought for a minute.

"If you win, I'll cover the drinks tonight." She said firmly.

"And if you win?" April smiled flirtatiously over her drink.

"I get to kiss you." The red turtle choked a little on his drink, but nodded, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart. He made himself look calm and collected as he nodded.

"It's a bet." He agreed, and they both settled back, enjoying themselves. They talked as they waited for the fight to come on, and Raphael found himself enjoy her company far more than any date ever, to tell you the truth. Not even Mona had made him feel like this on the first date.

The fight started and Raph leaned back, confident that he would win the bet, but a small part of him wishing that he would lose. A small crowd gathered around them as the fight progressed, the press of so many carnivores setting Raph slightly on edge, but the press of April's body against his soothed the feeling and made him growl softly as a Boar Mybrid got too close to her.

His attention was brought back to the television as the final bell rang, trying to hide a grin as he saw Johnson standing next to the ref, his hand held high in the air. He felt April nudge his shoulder, and he turned to meet her bright green eye, noticing for the first time the gold that intermingled in them.

"So, looks like I won." She murmured softly, as she leaned in closer to him.

"Looks like I did." He replied, his voice a low rumble as he moved in closer.

When their lips touched, the feeling he had solidified.

 _Mate._

He never once thought he would find one, just find someone he was fairly compatible with, and settle down with her. After Mona had found a mate in another lizard mybrid, he truly believed he would never find anyone. But just a few hours with this amazing little half-mybrid- a fox at that- and he knew he had found someone her wanted to spend forever with.

Heat rushed through his body as he pressed harder against her, and she pressed back until someone they didn't noticed bumped them apart.

"Want to head to my apartment? It's closer." His voice was a low growl in her ear, and Raphael could feel her shudder in pleasure.

"Yes." Was her only reply and he paid for the meal, and lead her from the bar, her small hand making circles on his lower shell. When they got to the door, he paused for a moment.

"Do you want this?" He had to make sure she wanted him, had to make sure she wouldn't reject him. She pushed him against his door, her mouth claiming his hungrily.

"I'm sure." She rumbled back, baring her slightly elongated canines. Raph got the door open, and they stumbled in, forgetting to lock it behind him.

The warm light of the sun woke Raphael gently the next morning. He stretched, feeling the tug of the mating mark on his shoulder. Turning to the warm body next to him, he felt the fur of his tail tickle his leg. He nuzzled her neck, licking the mark that he had placed on her neck. She stirred next to him, open her eyes. She yawned, curling up tighter to his plastron.

"Morning." She muttered, nuzzling him affectionately. She looked at him through her lashes. "Breakfast?" He laughed at the pleading tone in her voice, before his own stomach rumbled in hunger. Pulling himself from bed, he grabbed a pair of sweat pants from his drawer, and found a tee shirt and a pair of pants that Mona had left behind. April was a little bigger than Mona, but she had liked her stuff baggy, so they would do.

"I'll go start the coffee and you can get cleaned up." He tried to ignore the tug of his tail as she took the things he handed her. "There's towels in the bathroom." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I won't be too long." She answered, and slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Raphael went into the kitchen, and started the coffee before pulling things out of the fridge for breakfast.

The scrapple was frying nicely on the stove when she walked in, heading straight for the coffee. After added a little sugar and raiding the fridge for some milk, she sat down and looked around the room.

"Crazy last night, huh?" She asked casually, taking a sip from her mug. Raph pulled the last of the waffles from the toaster.

"That's one way to put it." He said, turning off the stove and moving the scrapple from the pan to the plates that already had the waffles and eggs waiting. She smiled broadly as he set a plate in front of her and took a seat. Digging into the food she made a happy squeaking sound, and a small feeling of pride that he made his mate happy with what he had.

"I never thought I'd end up with a mybrid, I have to admit." She put the eggs on top of her scrapple. "Not that it's a bad thing. I'm open to anyone really." She looked thoughtful over her coffee, then smiled. "But I'm glad I found you."

Raph leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He was about to return the sentiment when his phone rang. Running to the room, he grabbed it, making note it was Mikey who was calling.

"Hey bro, what's up?" He answered his younger brother as he moved back to the kitchen.

"Nothing much, just wanted to see how your date went." The older turtle looked over at April, who was refilling her coffee, and smiled.

"Best date ever. You guys might want to clean your calendars for dinner tonight, got something to tell you."


End file.
